We have returned from Madeira and we can’t stand how cold Sweden has become! It’s too cold here and we want to leave now!!! Ok, within a couple of weeks, we are going to Fuerteventura (La Pared), which will be nice. Still, we are not done with the plans for winter. Right now we are in Stockholm visiting people and running to meetings.

Travel News Market 2019

Organized by the Swedish magazine Travel News, it’s a paradise for the travel industry and agents. However, there were a lot of journalists that attended the event and we were there. For us, it’s a perfect way to meet old and new friends and mingle. We got to say hi to Monika (from the Polish state tourism office in Stockholm) and Ana from Portugal’s tourism agency. They are both super! We will be meeting Ana again next week and Monika invited us to her home after the fair.

There are so many people that we met that we just wanted to hug and thank. Iris Muller from the German Tourism Board was there to greet us and present us to other people from the German market. We are in love with both Hamburg and Lubeck and can’t wait to explore more of Germany. We are currently writing posts about Hamburg and Lubeck that will be published soon.

Spain and the Canary Islands

We have done several collaborations with the Spanish tourism board and it was amazing to meet all the nice people again. Marcos Medina from Lanzarote was the one who helped us with everything during our visit to Lanzarote. And then we also got to hug Carlos from Gran Canaria. He has been of great help to us during our stay in Gran Canaria.

Regarding Spain, we also met Monica and Carolina from Spain’s tourism office. It warmed our hearts to hear Monica and how happy she is to collaborate with us. We were on a press trip to La Gomera a couple of months ago and they were super happy with the result. That’s always so fun to hear – that people are happy to work with us!

Meeting other bloggers and trying out chocolates

We started the day with “Visit Flanders” and we got to try some really great chocolates and learn more about the destination. Oh, how we long to go there and explore Belgium! The day will come, we are not sure when yet but we will visit Flanders and explore the region.

At the Travel News Market, we met Peter and Helena from Freedom Travel. We tend to meet at different events and we always have so much fun. Let’s hope that we can meet again while we are in Stockholm and talk some more. They live full-time on a houseboat – how awesome is that! And their blog is one of Sweden’s largest once!

Visiting Monika and Chris

Monika, who works at the Polish state tourism office, is one of the most international people we know. She’s from Poland but she speaks Swedish. Her husband is Chris and he is from Germany so at home they speak English. They are some of the most friendly and inviting people we have ever met. Chris made the best soup ever and we got to spend a couple of hours with them in their lovely home.

It’s so easy with them and we can talk about everything and it’s so relaxed. They recently moved and their house (read mansion) is awesome – it’s like walking into a magazine. We always feel welcome and at home when being with these guys!

Egyptian silver jewelry at the Egyptian Embassy

The day after the Travel News Market, we had an invitation to visit the Egyptian Embassy and attend a lecture. The invitation was from Reem Maguid and since we were in Stockholm we made sure to go there. Ok, a lecture about silver jewelry might not sound like the most interesting thing in the world but believe us – it was!

There is no other person who could make it so interesting as Reem Maguid herself. We were there together with a lot of diplomats and when walking up to the house, we felt kind of misplaced. But that only lasted until Reem met us and gave us each a big hug – she has so much love and energy to offer that we felt at ease immediately and just enjoyed the whole experience.

Learning about Beduin silver

After learning all about Beduin silver, we can’t wait to go to Egypt and then write an article about it. I already know what I want to add to the article – a lot about the Beduin silver that has so much meaning to it. Reem has a HUGE collection that she showed us and she shared all her knowledge about the silver and the meaning behind the huge silver pieces. A few things that we learned:

• The Beduins used silver instead of gold because it was cheaper.
• The silver pieces were made by the women and they were worn at all times. Since the Beduins moved a lot – it was a way to always have your riches at hand and you were ready to leave at all times.
• One necklace could weigh more than three kilograms?! And don’t get me started on the super-heavy earrings.

Having an amazing Egyptian lunch

After the lecture, we were treated to an incredible lunch. There was so much to choose from and we wanted to try it all. Roasted Orka in tomato sauce, traditional Egyptian green salad, Baba Ghanouch, Tehina, Hawawshi and Baklawa and that’s just to mention some of the food that was served. And at all times, we were surrounded by Egyptian jewelry, neatly placed all over the house.

This whole experience made us want to return to Egypt and explore the country. It’s been about 13 years since we were there so it feels like it can be time to return!

Thank you Reem Maguid for inviting us and for teaching us so much about your passion! We will pass it on!